Chiron and the Centaurs

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Chiron and the Centaurs

Sue Tompkins and Melanie Reinhart

Discovery and Astronomy:

Chiron was discovered by Charles T. Kowal on November 1st 1977 (1) at about 10am in Pasadena.

When discovered it didn't fit into existing categories of celestial objects and for this reason has beenre-classified several times having been defined variously as an asteroid, a comet, and a 'planetoid'.

Indeed, it still holds 'dual classification' as comet 95P and Minor Planet 2060. Most of the time it is

positioned between Saturn and Uranus but as a body that crosses the orbits of other bodies, it can at

times be closer in than Saturn, and at others, further out than Uranus.

It has a cometary tail which can reach 300,000km in length and which appears to switch on and off

- at times the tail can be seen, at others not. Once Chiron was discovered, its appearance was noted

on photographic plates dating back as far as the late 1800s. It had been there all along, but not been

noticed.

Likewise, in the horoscope, Chiron symbolises that which is 'hidden' by virtue of being so obviouswe don't actually see it. Very small, only 180km in diameter, Chiron can also describe those things

that, being so small, may seem insignificant, but in actuality are powerful. In keeping with it's

continual re-classification as a celestial body, Chiron's meaning in the horoscope resists

categorisation and defies description.

The Kuiper Belt:

The year 1992 saw the discovery of the Kuiper Belt, a large zone of matter surrounding the Solar

System, comprising possibly billions of small celestial objects currently being discovered and

classified. Named after the Dutch astronomer Gerald Kuiper (1905-1973) who predicted its

existence, the Kuiper Belt has yielded several new astronomical categories including the 'Centaurs'.

Some of the larger Kuiper belt objects (KBO's) or trans-Neptunians such as Quaoar, Sedna, Ixion

and Xena may prove to be of more than passing astrological interest but so far, it is the Centaurs

that have particularly caught the attention of astrologers'. More than twenty have been discovered,

although only about twelve have been named.(2)

Centaurs are 'born' when objects are drawn in to the Solar System from the icy wastes of space in

the region around Pluto, pulled in by the gravitational field of Neptune. In Greek mythology, the

Centaurs were a tribe of unruly creatures who were half horse, half human; only a few have names

and an individual story line.

Similarly, while there may be countless Centaurs awaiting discovery in the depths of the Kuiper

Belt, only a few have been named, thus demonstrating a neat parallel with the mythology. Chironwill probably remain the most well known, the 'chief centaur' just as Ceres is the 'queen of the

asteroids'(3) In mythology, it is mainly Chiron, Pholus and Nessus who have a substantial story

line, and so far these are the three Centaurs proving to be the most useful in astrological terms.

Astrologers and astronomers co-operated in the naming process for several of the Centaurs and this

is the first time in recorded history that this divide has been bridged. This rapprochement reflects

Centaur themes: the bringing together of the scientific and the intuitive, the rational and

inspirational, just as the half-horse, half-human image of the centaur brings together disparate

opposites, and challenges us to integrate that which seems alien(4).

Orbital features:

The Centaurs then, are Minor Planets, which have some distinguishing features. They cross over the

orbital paths of one or more other bodies between Jupiter and Pluto, and have very elliptical orbits.



This means that they will seem to speed through some signs, astrologically, as they whiz round the

narrower part of the ellipse while taking much longer to transit the signs on the long sides in-

between these points. Thus Chiron spends about 8 years in Pisces and Aries and only about 2 in

Virgo and Libra. To complete one complete orbit Chiron takes about 50 years, Pholus about 90

years, and Nessus 124 years.

These elliptical orbits will mean a big difference in the distance from the Sun at different parts of

the orbit. For example, Chiron's mean distance from the Sun is 13.73 AU(5). At perihelion it is8.453 AU, while at aphelion it is 18.899AU. Its period of axial rotation is 5.9 hours, and its orbital

inclination to the ecliptic is a steep 7 degrees.

Symbolism of discovery:

Chiron's discovery at this pivotal time in our history reflects a process of innovation and change by

'quantum leap' - as well as technological changes - potentially changes of consciousness, belief,

behaviour and life-style. In this sense Chiron bridges the realms of Uranus (radical change,

revolution and the overturning of old collective structures) and Saturn (lord of manifestation and

preserver of existing forms). By weaving both impulses into a higher synthesis, more uniquely

personal than either planet, Chiron's process may help us individuate beyond the various pressuresof the collective to which we are all subject. Commitment to the healing of self, others and our

environment is the price this minor planet seems to be asking us to pay.

In the Greek myth, Chiron is accidentally hit by an arrow which had been dipped in the poisonous

blood of the Hydra and the theme of poisoning is an interesting one around Chiron and the

Centaurs. They have been discovered during a period of time when the true extent of the toxic

devastation of the environment is coming to light. Nuclear waste, chemical waste and pollutants,

industrial accidents and toxic spills of one kind or another are very often in the news. We are daily

flooded with toxic material - in our water, in the air we breathe, in the dental materials most of us

have in our mouths. Arguably, it is the rings of Saturn that symbolically protects the immune

system and Chiron penetrating through Saturn's orbit may be a co-significator for some of thediseases of immune deficiency that have proliferated over the last few decades.

The Pluto Connection:

Chiron may have a role in enabling us to integrate the powerful experiences signified by the outer

planets, Uranus, Neptune and especially Pluto, which is in fact the largest inhabitant of the Kuiper

Disk, and formerly the only 'orbit-crossing' planet. Certainly, it seems to act as an emissary, agent

or escapee of Pluto and can, to some extent, be interpreted similarly to a kind of smaller, bite sized

version of that planet.

The Centaurs seem to preside over rites of passage and processes of purification that accompany

spiritual development. Their discovery may enable consciousness and awareness to be brought intoareas of the soul previously inaccessible except perhaps to hermits, mystics and shamans and others

dedicated to the inner journey.

Mythology:

Chiron is often associated with the archetypal theme of the Wounded Healer. He was the son of

Kronos or Chronus (Saturn) and a sea-nymph called Philyra. Because both parents were in their

horse form when he was conceived, Chiron emerged as a centaur; half horse and half human. When

she saw him, Philyra was so horrified that she prayed to be turned into anything other than what she

was - the mother of a monster. Chiron was abandoned and then rescued by a shepherd who took

him to the Sun god Apollo.

Chiron's mother Philyra demonstrates the primary state of mind that creates our suffering - the

inability to accept things as they are, instead to react in a rejecting and negative way. The



astronomy is reflected in the mythology, in that Chiron is taken to Apollo, and fostered by the Sun

god. In their elliptical orbits, Chiron and the Centaurs appear to be tending inwards to the Sun like

Chiron taken to Apollo. This detail also reminds us that our suffering and our compulsions need to

be brought into the light of compassionate awareness, for Apollo was the god of healing, music and

prophecy and other skills.

In the episode which earned Chiron the title of "Wounded Healer", Hercules, one of his students,

accidentally wounded him. Because Chiron was a demi-god, he could not die, but neither could heheal himself, as the wound was poisoned. Chiron in astrology often represents that which we can do

for others, but we cannot do for ourselves. After existing in agony for a long time, trying

unsuccessfully to heal himself, Chiron changed places with Prometheus, who was chained to a rock

as a punishment for tricking Zeus (Jupiter).

Thus both Chiron and Prometheus were released from their suffering. Chiron was finally able to die

and was immortalised in the constellation of Centaurus, which flanks the Southern Cross. This is a

powerful description of the process whereby our suffering is resolved - by full empathy and

acceptance of it and/or empathy with the suffering of another.

.

Chiron and Exile:

In keeping with the mythology, a theme of 'exile' is often felt around Chiron. Where we find Chiron

in the horoscope, we may feel different, not understood and outside of life in some way. In this

respect, Chiron seems to operate like a weak version of Uranus. Whereas we can associate Uranus

with rebellion and revolution and perhaps the awakening of rebellious feelings in others, with

Chiron the experience is more that of sitting outside the herd.

Chiron, death and transition:

Matters pertaining to death in the horoscope are of course signified by Saturn, Pluto, the 8th house

and Scorpio but Chiron undoubtedly joins this team of significators. Themes like voluntaryeuthanasia, assisted suicide, living Wills, and the rights of the dying seem to be specifically

symbolised by Chiron, whose role seems to come under the umbrella of the conscious acceptance of

death. Such acceptance can play an important part in the process of healing. By transit, Chiron can

signify the deaths of significant others in our lives, although there will always also be other

indicators pointing the same way. It is often active at times of illness too, when we may be forced to

face the fact that we are mortal.

In the mythology, Chiron was accidently wounded by Hercules and Chiron often seems to be at

work when people get caught up in some kind of larger crossfire. For instance, it is often prominent

in the charts of major disasters, especially when in opposition to Saturn, for some reason.

Chiron and Disability:

The American astrologer Kim Gallagher Rogers has noted how similar the glyph for Chiron is to

the symbol for wheelchair access(6). She points out that the wheelchair disability symbol was

adopted in 1968 when Chiron was at 0 degrees of Aries, a potent point which often signifies the

birth of something. Chiron, in common with Pluto, certainly seems to be a co-significator of at least

some forms of disability and it's discovery 'coincided' with the time when disability was finally

becoming something that could start be acknowledged and discussed. The Campaign for equal

rights for people with disabilities was at a height in 1977 in the US, pre-emptied by Edward Roberts

who was the first person with a severe disability to be a student living on campus.

In the same way that the whole subject of death was largely a matter of denial in the West until the1970's, so were all matters pertaining to disability. The vast majority of the American public for

instance, never knew that President Roosevelt, who was in power from 1933 to his death in 1945

was totally paralysed from the waist down (due either to polio or Guillain-Barre syndrome which he





The best way to understand Chiron in your horoscope is to track its transits over time, particularly

the main 'hard' aspects: conjunction, square and opposition.

Some 'classic' Chiron themes

In some horoscopes, putting Chiron in will have the effect of highlighting a pattern, creating a new

emphasis or serving to explain something really prominent about a person not otherwise reflected in

the chart. Studying it often makes for an 'aha' effect, where suddenly things click into place. Peoplewho cannot relate to Chiron fall into one of two categories: there are those who are so busy

blocking out the deeper dimensions of their soul that they cannot resonate with Chiron, out of fear.

Then there are those who are living so close to the archetype that they cannot see it!

There can be an obvious 'unhealable wound' depicted by Chiron's placement, a situation that we

cannot escape from although we may try to and which provides grist to the mill of our 'soul-work'

for many years. Just as in the myth, however, there is potential resolution and release. Very often

this revolves around accepting the unacceptable, the unfair, the incomprehensible; it may mean

stopping trying to figure things out and fix them, but instead to simply allow ourselves to be with

the experience.

Chiron can also depict a brilliance, something which stands out and defines a person. It can show

where we behave or feel like an outsider, a maverick or wanderer, where we resist being tied down,

where the constraints of society weigh heavily. There is a wildness, a freshness, a volatility of

energy, a certain instability where we can go to extremes. It can also be like 'blind spot' where

something is obvious to everyone but ourselves. Psychologically, it could be said that Chiron

symbolises part of us that has been split off. It has become dissociated because of trauma or

suffering, or simply through a lack of understanding or language to process an experience. Transits

act like the classic shamanic process of 'soul retrieval' where that which has been outcast, seeks to

return.

Pholus - the lid comes off

Pholus was discovered in 1992 , and its process seems to be one where a small event sets off a chainreaction, either inwardly or externally, in terms of consequences. In the Greek mythology, Pholus

was the keeper of the sacred jar of wine of Dionysus. Dionysus was the god of ecstasy; whose riteswere often characterised by drunkenness and chaos, and sometimes they culminated in violence.

Similarly Pholus events often involve things getting out of control. The way to deal with Pholus is to

take only essential actions until the floods subside and things settle down. The jar of Pholus was not supposed to be opened for four generations, and so the astrological Pholus often highlights the

releasing of ancestral processes, whether these are known or unknown to us. In some way, bearing witness to the past can be important as we are called upon to clarify our own ancestral lineage.

Sometimes there are specific things to do, like forgiveness work, or putting flowers on a grave. But

often it is simply to inwardly acknowledge the suffering of those who went before us, and torecognise the tragedy of it.

Nessus - the buck stops here.

The 3rd Centaur to be discovered is one that seems to address issues to do with the abuse of power,

and it too has ancestral implications. It seems that Nessus brings opportunities to understand and release deep patterns of helplessness, being taken advantage of, and being oppressed. This is

particularly relevant for people raised in a culture where they are in a minority group. Nessus

processes really do seem to bring to an end the unfathomable ties that bind us to people, places, and situations. We can psychoanalyse our bonds, do 'tie cutting exercises', sweat and strain to be free of

situations which burn with relentless continuity, but only when such endeavours are in harmony with



the deeper timing of the soul will they result in deep release. And when they do, the healing isunmistakeable. Nessus activations correspond with times when things really do end, finish and

transcend to another level, when release occurs and when the turning point is reached. This

sometimes happens through an intensification of suffering. The end of falsely hopeful innocence is signalled by Nessus transits, and the opening of a deeper wisdom. Nessus sometimes correlates with

itching and burning skin as occurs in instances of eczema, nettle rash and allergy for instance. This

accords neatly with the Greek myth in which Nessus attempted to abduct and take advantage of Heracles wife, Deianira. Heracles saw the rape about to happen and shot Nessus. As he lay dying,

Nessus gave Deianira a potion containing his heart's blood and semen, saying that the potion would ensure Heracles faithfulness to her. When she became unsure of Heracles fidelity she smeared the

potion on his shirt but Nessus had lied; the mixture, impregnated with his toxic blood was poisonousand it burned Heracles terribly. To escape the pain Heracles threw himself onto a funeral pyre.

Appalled by what had happened, Deianira committed suicide.

Endnotes

(1) Date of photographic plate showing Chiron: 18.10 1977; 9.08am UT, Palomar 33N19/116W53

Discovery date: 1.11.1977: 10.00am PST, Pasadena, 34N8/118W8.

(2) See the website http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/lists/Centaurs.html (updated daily).

(3) This parallel was suggested by Robert von Heeren in his book, co-authored with Dieter Koch '.

"Pholus - Wandler zwischen Saturn und Neptun", (German language only), Chiron Verlag,

Tubingen, Germany, 1995.

(4) For further details see the following websites:

. www.robertvonheeren.de

. www.expreso.co.cr/centaurs

. www.zanestein.com/chiron

(5) One AU (astronomical unit) = 150 million kilometres/93 million miles = mean distance from the

Earth to the Sun.

(6) Personal communication at the Lucerne conference in 1993.

(7) President Franklin D. Roosevelt was born on 30 January 1882 8.45pm LMT, in Hyde Park, New

York, 41N47 73W56 according to the astrological program Kepler 7.0. A Democrat, he held office

for four terms, the only President to serve for more than two. His Aquarian planets go some way to

explaining his humanitarian bent but the Chiron in Taurus in the 8th conjunct Jupiter and Neptune

augments the liberal, charitable impulse of that conjunction, describing the strenuous perhaps

brilliant efforts he made during the Great Depression to make viable economic reforms and alleviatethe suffering of the unemployed.

(8) York Conference 1983

[i] See 'Saturn, Chiron and the Centaurs' by Melanie Reinhart, CPA Press 1996/2000 for full

exploration of their symbolism.

All website contents copyright © Melanie Reinhart 1989-2007. All rights reserved.

On December 30th, 1999, Chiron will be conjunct Pluto at 11°23' Sagittarius, making this aspect

the main astrological signature of the Millenium. Melanie Reinhart has been contemplating this, and

here are some of her thoughts. (See also the Chiron-Pluto-Cycle-diagrams with a list of exact

Chiron-Pluto-conjunctions since 1600 A.D.).

http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/lists/Centaurs.html



http://www.robertvonheeren.de/

http://www.expreso.co.cr/centaurs

http://www.zanestein.com/chiron

http://www.kentauren.info/chirplut.htm

http://www.robertvonheeren.de/

http://www.expreso.co.cr/centaurs

http://www.zanestein.com/chiron

http://www.kentauren.info/chirplut.htm




CHIRON RE-CLASSIFIED

Since the recent discovery of the Centaurs, the small orbit-crossing bodies that move between

Saturn and Pluto, Chiron has been again re-classified. Its current status as ‘chief Centaur’ clarifies

Chiron’s symbolism as messenger, emissary and escapee of the Underworld, to which he returned,

the myth, for his own healing. This is the terrain of the god Hades, our planet Pluto, who may thus be seen as presiding over the Kuiper Disk, the dense belt of matter called the Kuiper Disk which

surrounds the Solar System.

PLUTO NEARLY RE-CLASSIFIED

Pluto itself was recently the subject of huge controversy in the world of scientific astronomy when

Dr. Brian Marsden of the I.A.U. suggested that Pluto should be re-classified as a ‘Minor Planet’, the

largest of such in the Kuiper Disk. Although this makes complete symbolic sense, a storm of

outrage followed which quashed the proposal. Suffice it to say that if Pluto had been discovered

more recently, it would not have been classed as a planet.

What a delicious piece of ‘live astrology’. Pluto, as Lord of Transformation, enters the sign of

Sagittarius, accompanied by a herd of newly discovered Centaurs, and asks us to reconsider his

meaning! Pluto himself is an orbit-crosser, the only one used by most astrologers until the Centaurs

were discovered. All these bodies move inward from the cold dark reaches of outer space, tending

towards the light of the Sun, the heart-centre of the Solar System, the point of integration and

individual consciousness. Pluto crossed to the inner side of Neptune’s orbital path in February

1979, reached perihelion in 1989 in the sign of Scorpio, and crossed out again in February 1999,

just as this controversy was peaking! It’s as if he was saying, "I’m not who you think I am".

Thus the Centaurs seem to symbolise the contents which emerge from the deeper background of

historical, political and ancestral issues, and which seek recognition, light and healing by impinging

on our own lives. In other words, they mark out areas of enormous suffering, themes which are‘bigger than us’, which are not ‘out fault’ but which we nonetheless have to work with.

THE CHIRON-PLUTO CYCLE

The last conjunction of Chiron and Pluto occurred on July 19th, 1941, at 3°41' Leo, and thus we are

at the end of a cycle that began during World War II. Many countries have a 50 year secrecy rule on

classified documents relating to sensitive historical and political events. The last decade has seen

the opening of many such documents, relating to the beginning of the cycle, with powerful

repercussions for many individuals, and a corresponding shift in collective opinion. There have

been many heart-rending stories in the media of individuals trying to fill in the biographical blanks

in their own lives, and their ancestry. Shocking discoveries have led to outrage, hostility, further trauma and feelings of betrayal as the truth emerges. However, there are also extraordinary stories

of healing, reparation, forgiveness and peace-making with the past, on both an individual and

collective scale.

THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL

If we consider Pluto to be connected with taboos, then Chiron/Pluto is perhaps about the breaking

of taboos. A taboo may create a condition of frozen non-experience which itself is denied, and

which attracts more of the same, like a black hole, and which also (symbolically through the

Centaurs) needs recognition and release for healing to occur. Pluto’s purifying activity in the

Scorpio terrain is easily located ....... we all know what it feels like to be emotionally frozen, then tohave that melt and gush forth in a catharsis of expression or discharge which leaves one feeling

shaken, but relieved, empty and peaceful.



But what about Pluto in Sagittarius? To be frozen here is the ‘Dark Night of the Soul’, the spiritual

wasteland, the horror of meaninglessness, the absurdity perceived by the mind breaking up under

the weight of its own preconceptions and bereft of the capacity for reverence. It is the world of

T.S.Eliot’s exquisite poem "East Coker", which was written in 1940, just before the last

Chiron/Pluto conjunction, which is where we are now ............ "Oh dark, dark, dark......"

THE WOUNDED GOD IMAGE

Taboo exists in our relationship with God, and our own true nature too ....... for this metaphysical

emptiness, void, lack of meaning, belief and aspiration is intolerable unless you have an

unshakeable faith which goes even deeper and can encompass these states. In other words, it is a

‘loss of spiritual innocence’ where we let go of our regressive wish to be taken care of by an

omnipotent and benign parent-figure who we think should make us comfortable and safe. To truly

embrace the Divine is an earth-shaking experience. In Esoteric Astrology, Sagittarius rules the

Earth, said to be a ‘non-sacred planet’ in the process of becoming sacred.

So our contemporary culture protects itself by compensation and denial, and the taboo is about

admitting the depth of despair and meaninglessness. Therefore meaning, spirituality, religion,

purpose and our highest aspirations also become taboo. Instead, we have ‘options’ proliferating ineverything from bank accounts to cornflakes, flaunting the illusions of ‘choice’ and ‘freedom’.

Speed, greed, excitement, consumerism and ‘more is better’ are all negative Jupiter manifestations,

like the Sagittarian Centaur run amok.

It is ‘not cool’ to have noble aspirations, spiritual ideals, high principles and to try and live them.

However, my ‘prediction’ is that it soon will be. It is well-known that near-death experiences very

often result in a powerful spiritual connection for the individual, and this is the condition of our

home planet today....... we do not know whether the human race will survive, or how, as potential

disaster looms simultaneously on several fronts - ecology, economy, world health, food and fuel

supplies. Meanwhile, our god-image is wounded, in need of repair, and religious convictions

become harshly fundamentalist to avoid destruction in the pit of meaninglessness, which may be thenecessary prelude for a true rebirth of individual meaning. Sagittarian and Plutonian themes abound

here - the vision of potential disaster in the future perhaps also holds the possibility for spiritual

awakening.

Today, the emerging spiritual needs and the vision from which it is emanating are appropriated by

the world of bill-boards and advertising, and become trivialised in catch-phases that encourage you

to buy this or that product. In only one issue of Time Magazine (October 11,1999) I found these

phrases in the advertisements "Remember when something new gave you wings" ....... "Two more

ways oneworld revolves around you" ........"and then there was light" .........."Because our corporate

message is beyond words" ......."Like guardian angels .... (the GPS gets you and your rental car back

to civilisation)" ........"From here the big picture is clear".

However, turning this inside-out, I would see the ‘global mind’ revealing an incoming vision

through the most obvious channels available - the mass media. I imagine God saying "Well, most

people are not reading the sacred texts any more, so I’ll have to spell things out for them in places

where they do look".

Watch that space.....! Someone once sent me a card on which was written

"HIS DISGUISE IS PERFECT".

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Chiron and the Centaurs